Guide to Games & Activities with Balloonsfor fun, team building, & experiential learning

Why Balloon Activities?

Balloons - in one form or another - have fascinated human beings for centuries.

Balloons are incredibly forgiving and help in building people's confidence.

Balloons are fun, portable, and inexpensive.

Balloons add suspense to the atmosphere - there is a healthy sense of prolonged hope when playing with balloons!

Conducting Balloon Activities

Balloon games can be used as party games, fun fillers, energizers, icebreakers, or for longer trust-building, team building,
and therapeutic sessions. Create a unique sequence for your group, using
these 40 balloon game descriptions as a guide.

Time: 5 mins to 1 hour

Location: Preferably inside. Balloons are susceptible to even the slightest wind which can be frustrating. Plus, there are fewer
accidental balloon bursts inside.

Equipment: Ideally, start with 2 to 3 assorted round 9 to 12 inch (medium to large) round latex balloons per person (deflated). The actual number needed depends on group size, the specific activity, and whether it
involves bursting balloons. Sports equipment, permanent markers, and slips of paper are optional.
To purchase the ideal balloons in bulk, see
Balloon Activities Kit.

Hygiene: Only one person inflates each balloon.

Hyperventilation: Can occur following quick, deep breaths from
the top of the chest when blowing up balloons, leading to a lack of CO2
(Carbon Dioxide) in the blood. Symptoms include lightheadedness.
Encourage anyone experiencing this to sit down and to breath slowly.

Environmental: Latex balloons are biodegradable (at the same rate as an Oak leaf). Latex is a natural substance, produced from the
milky sap of the rubber tree. To learn more about environmental aspects, see Balloon Industry Links.

BALLOON ACTIVITY

DESCRIPTION

Balloon History

Balloons - in one form or another - have fascinated human beings for
centuries.
Ask participants to guess who invented the modern balloon and when it was
invented (Answer:
In the mid-1800s by Michael Faraday). However, it wasn't until 1931
that there was mass production of modern-day
blow-up-by-yourself colored latex balloons. To learn
more about balloon history, see Balloon Industry Links.

Balloon Inflation

Each person blows up a balloon. Balloons work best for games at
about 85% of inflation capacity. Keen participants often over-inflate
which leads to higher burstage. Less confident participants may under-inflate. You can turn the
ideal inflation into a game and demonstration.
Show the ideal inflation and walk around coaching people.
85% inflation also allows a handy distance for tying a thumb-knot in the
neck of the balloon. Some participants may need a hand to tie the
balloon off - encourage cooperation amongst participants rather than doing
it yourself.

Balloon Juggle & Sort

Challenge participants to keep all balloons (1+ per person) in the air. This gets the group moving
and cooperating. Once they've got the hang of it, make it harder by
adding in more balloons or placing restrictions e.g., no hands to keep
balloons up. Ask participants to keep
juggling the balloons, but to sort them into colors (works best with large
groups).

Balloon Frantic

Two to three inflated balloons per person are needed and a stopwatch. Each person has a balloon, with the rest in a nearby pile. Everyone
begins bouncing their balloons in the air. Every five seconds, another balloon
is added. See how long the group can keep the
balloons bouncing before receiving six penalties. A penalty is
announced loudly (to create stress!) by the leader when a balloon hits the floor, or once
on the floor, if is not got back into play within five seconds. The
leader keeps a cumulative score by shouting out "one", "two", etc. When the leader gets to "six", time is stopped. After some discussion, the group tries to better its record with another attempt.

Catch the Balloon

A handy name game. Stand in a circle. Toss a balloon in the air and call
someone's name. That person must catch the balloon before it touches the
ground. If the person succeeds he/she then tosses the balloon up and calls
the next name. A variation of
Group Juggle.

Balloon Bop

An extension of Catch the Balloon. Now the
balloon is not caught, but kept in the air. As well as calling out
someone's name, also call out a body part which that person has to use to
keep the balloon in the air until he/she calls another person's name and
body part.

Balloon Blow

Divide into teams. Each team stands in a small circle. See
which team can keep a balloon aloft the longest using only breath.
Watch out for hyperventilation!

Balloon Help

Start off with everyone in a circle, facing inwards, hands behind back.
The objective is for everyone to be in the center keeping all balloons
afloat. Put between zero and three balloons in people's hands
behind their backs. Participants should not let on to others how
many they have. The leader starts by trying to keep three balloons
afloat in the center. When it becomes difficult, the leader calls
somebody's name and says "X, I need your help!". That person comes
in with all their balloons and helps until it becomes difficult and then
they call "Y, I need your help!". If a balloon falls on the
ground, it must be picked up by someone in the center and kept afloat.

Balloon Finger Balance

Try balancing a balloon on the end of your finger. Have a
competition to see who can do it for the longest. The balloon must
not be held, only balanced, and it must not be tapped. The finger
must be in direct contact with the balloon at all times. Good for
focus, concentration and physical movement.

Balloon Ball Games

Ball sports take on a new dimension when a balloon is used instead, e.g., get
people into pairs, 1 balloon between them. Get them to play a
series of 1 on 1 sports e.g., soccer,
volleyball, table tennis, etc. - add equipment if you want, but without
equipment people will improvise wonderfully. On a soft surface there
can be dramatic diving. Variation: Ask participants to play some
points in slow-motion.